1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to antigen binding molecules (ABMs). In particular embodiments, the present invention relates to recombinant monoclonal antibodies, including chimeric, primatized or humanized antibodies specific for human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In addition, the present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding such ABMs, and vectors and host cells comprising such nucleic acid molecules. The invention further relates to methods for producing the ABMs of the invention, and to methods of using these ABMs in treatment of disease. In addition, the present invention relates to ABMs with modified glycosylation having improved therapeutic properties, including antibodies with increased Fc receptor binding and increased effector function.
2. Background Art
EGFR and Anti-EGFR Antibodies
Human epidermal growth factor receptor (also known as HER-1 or Erb-B1, and referred to herein as “EGFR”) is a 170 kDa transmembrane receptor encoded by the c-erbB protooncogene, and exhibits intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity (Modjtahedi et al., Br. J. Cancer 73:228-235 (1996); Herbst and Shin, Cancer 94:1593-1611 (2002)). SwissProt database entry P00533 provides the sequence of EGFR. There are also isoforms and variants of EGFR (e.g., alternative RNA transcripts, truncated versions, polymorphisms, etc.) including but not limited to those identified by Swissprot database entry numbers P00533-1, P00533-2, P00533-3, and P00533-4. EGFR is known to bind ligands including epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α), amphiregulin, heparin-binding EGF (hb-EGF), betacellulin, and epiregulin (Herbst and Shin, Cancer 94:1593-1611 (2002); Mendelsohn and Baselga, Oncogene 19:6550-6565 (2000)). EGFR regulates numerous cellular processes via tyrosine-kinase mediated signal transduction pathways, including, but not limited to, activation of signal transduction pathways that control cell proliferation, differentiation, cell survival, apoptosis, angiogenesis, mitogenesis, and metastasis (Atalay et al., Ann. Oncology 14:1346-1363 (2003); Tsao and Herbst, Signal 4:4-9 (2003); Herbst and Shin, Cancer 94:1593-1611 (2002); Modjtahedi et al., Br. J. Cancer 73:228-235 (1996)).
Overexpression of EGFR has been reported in numerous human malignant conditions, including cancers of the bladder, brain, head and neck, pancreas, lung, breast, ovary, colon, prostate, and kidney. (Atalay et al., Ann. Oncology 14:1346-1363 (2003); Herbst and Shin, Cancer 94:1593-1611 (2002) Modjtahedi et al., Br. J. Cancer 73:228-235 (1996)). In many of these conditions, the overexpression of EGFR correlates or is associated with poor prognosis of the patients. (Herbst and Shin, Cancer 94:1593-1611 (2002); Modjtahedi et al., Br. J. Cancer 73:228-235 (1996)). EGFR is also expressed in the cells of normal tissues, particularly the epithelial tissues of the skin, liver, and gastrointestinal tract, although at generally lower levels than in malignant cells (Herbst and Shin, Cancer 94:1593-1611 (2002)).
Unconjugated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can be useful medicines for the treatment of cancer, as demonstrated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of Trastuzumab (Herceptin™; Genentech Inc) for the treatment of advanced breast cancer (Grillo-Lopez, A.-J., et al., Semin. Oncol. 26:66-73 (1999); Goldenberg, M. M., Clin. Ther. 21:309-18 (1999)), Rituximab (Rituxan™; IDEC Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, Calif., and Genentech Inc., San Francisco, Calif.), for the treatment of CD20 positive B-cell, low-grade or follicular Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Gemtuzumab (Mylotarg™, Celltech/Wyeth-Ayerst) for the treatment of relapsed acute myeloid leukemia, and Alemtuzumab (CAMPATH™, Millenium Pharmaceuticals/Schering AG) for the treatment of B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The success of these products relies not only on their efficacy but also on their outstanding safety profiles (Grillo-Lopez, A. J., et al., Semin. Oncol. 26:66-73 (1999); Goldenberg, M. M., Clin. Ther. 21:309-18 (1999)). In spite of the achievements of these drugs, there is currently a large interest in obtaining higher specific antibody activity than what is typically afforded by unconjugated mAb therapy.
The results of a number of studies suggest that Fc-receptor-dependent mechanisms contribute substantially to the action of cytotoxic antibodies against tumors and indicate that an optimal antibody against tumors would bind preferentially to activation Fc receptors and minimally to the inhibitory partner FcγRIIB. (Clynes, R. A., et al., Nature Medicine 6(4):443-446 (2000); Kalergis, A. M., and Ravetch, J. V., J. Exp. Med. 195(12):1653-1659 (June 2002). For example, the results of at least one study suggest that polymorphism in the FcγRIIIa receptor, in particular, is strongly associated with the efficacy of antibody therapy. (Cartron, G., et al., Blood 99(3):754-757 (February 2002)). That study showed that patients homozygous for FcγRIIIa have a better response to Rituximab than heterozygous patients. The authors concluded that the superior response was due to better in vivo binding of the antibody to FcγRIIIa, which resulted in better ADCC activity against lymphoma cells. (Cartron, G., et al., Blood 99(3):754-757 (February 2002)).
Various strategies to target EGFR and block EGFR signaling pathways have been reported. Small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors like gefitinib, erlotinib, and CI-1033 block autophosphorylation of EGFR in the intracellular tyrosine kinase region, thereby inhibiting downstream signaling events (Tsao and Herbst, Signal 4: 4-9 (2003)). Monoclonal antibodies, on the other hand, target the extracellular portion of EGFR, which results in blocking ligand binding and thereby inhibits downstream events such as cell proliferation (Tsao and Herbst, Signal 4: 4-9 (2003)).
Several murine monoclonal antibodies have been generated which achieve such a block in vitro and which have been evaluated for their ability to affect tumor growth in mouse xenograft models (Masui, et al., Cancer Res. 46:5592-5598 (1986); Masui, et al., Cancer Res. 44:1002-1007 (1984); Goldstein, et al., Clin. Cancer Res. 1: 1311-1318 (1995)). For example, EMD 55900 (EMD Pharmaceuticals) is a murine anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody that was raised against human epidermoid carcinoma cell line A431 and was tested in clinical studies of patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx or hypopharynx (Bier et al., Eur. Arch Otohinolaryngol. 252:433-9 (1995)). In addition, the rat monoclonal antibodies ICR16, ICR62, and ICR80, which bind the extracellular domain of EGFR, have been shown to be effective at inhibiting the binding of EGF and TGF-α the receptor. (Modjtahedi et al., Int. J. Cancer 75:310-316 (1998)). The murine monoclonal antibody 425 is another MAb that was raised against the human A431 carcinoma cell line and was found to bind to a polypeptide epitope on the external domain of the human epidermal growth factor receptor. (Murthy et al., Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 252(2):549-560 (1987). A potential problem with the use of murine antibodies in therapeutic treatments is that non-human monoclonal antibodies can be recognized by the human host as a foreign protein; therefore, repeated injections of such foreign antibodies can lead to the induction of immune responses leading to harmful hypersensitivity reactions. For murine-based monoclonal antibodies, this is often referred to as a Human Anti-Mouse Antibody response, or “HAMA” response, or a Human Anti-Rat Antibody, or “HARA” response. Additionally, these “foreign” antibodies can be attacked by the immune system of the host such that they are, in effect, neutralized before they reach their target site. Furthermore, non-human monoclonal antibodies (e.g., murine monoclonal antibodies) typically lack human effector functionality, i.e., they are unable to, inter alia, mediate complement dependent lysis lyse human target cells through antibody dependent cellular toxicity or Fc-receptor mediated phagocytosis.
Chimeric antibodies comprising portions of antibodies from two or more different species (e.g., mouse and human) have been developed as an alternative to “conjugated” antibodies. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,996 (Mateo de Acosta del R10 et al.) discusses a mouse/human chimeric antibody, R3, directed against EGFR, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,864 discusses generation of chimeric and humanized forms of the murine anti-EGFR MAb 425. Also, IMC-C225 (Erbitux®; ImClone) is a chimeric mouse/human anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody (based on mouse M225 monoclonal antibody, which resulted in HAMA responses in human clinical trials) that has been reported to demonstrate antitumor efficacy in various human xenograft models. (Herbst and Shin, Cancer 94:1593-1611 (2002)). The efficacy of IMC-C225 has been attributed to several mechanisms, including inhibition of cell events regulated by EGFR signaling pathways, and possibly by increased antibody-dependent cellular toxicity (ADCC) activity (Herbst and Shin, Cancer 94:1593-1611 (2002)). IMC-C225 was also used in clinical trials, including in combination with radiotherapy and chemotherapy (Herbst and Shin, Cancer 94:1593-1611 (2002)). Recently, Abgenix, Inc. (Fremont, Calif.) developed ABX-EGF for cancer therapy. ABX-EGF is a fully human anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody. (Yang et al., Crit. Rev. Oncol./Hematol. 38: 17-23 (2001)).
Antibody Glycosylation
The oligosaccharide component can significantly affect properties relevant to the efficacy of a therapeutic glycoprotein, including physical stability, resistance to protease attack, interactions with the immune system, pharmacokinetics, and specific biological activity. Such properties may depend not only on the presence or absence, but also on the specific structures, of oligosaccharides. Some generalizations between oligosaccharide structure and glycoprotein function can be made. For example, certain oligosaccharide structures mediate rapid clearance of the glycoprotein from the bloodstream through interactions with specific carbohydrate binding proteins, while others can be bound by antibodies and trigger undesired immune reactions. (Jenkins et al., Nature Biotechnol. 14:975-81 (1996)).
Mammalian cells are the preferred hosts for production of therapeutic glycoproteins, due to their capability to glycosylate proteins in the most compatible form for human application. (Cumming et al., Glycobiology 1:115-30 (1991); Jenkins et al., Nature Biotechnol. 14:975-81 (1996)). Bacteria very rarely glycosylate proteins, and like other types of common hosts, such as yeasts, filamentous fungi, insect and plant cells, yield glycosylation patterns associated with rapid clearance from the blood stream, undesirable immune interactions, and in some specific cases, reduced biological activity. Among mammalian cells, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells have been most commonly used during the last two decades. In addition to giving suitable glycosylation patterns, these cells allow consistent generation of genetically stable, highly productive clonal cell lines. They can be cultured to high densities in simple bioreactors using serum-free media, and permit the development of safe and reproducible bioprocesses. Other commonly used animal cells include baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, NS0 and SP2/0-mouse myeloma cells. More recently, production from transgenic animals has also been tested. (Jenkins et al., Nature Biotechnol. 14:975-81 (1996)).
All antibodies contain carbohydrate structures at conserved positions in the heavy chain constant regions, with each isotype possessing a distinct array of N-linked carbohydrate structures, which variably affect protein assembly, secretion or functional activity. (Wright, A., and Morrison, S. L., Trends Biotech. 15:26-32 (1997)). The structure of the attached N-linked carbohydrate varies considerably, depending on the degree of processing, and can include high-mannose, multiply-branched as well as biantennary complex oligosaccharides. (Wright, A., and Morrison, S. L., Trends Biotech. 15:26-32 (1997)). Typically, there is heterogeneous processing of the core oligosaccharide structures attached at a particular glycosylation site such that even monoclonal antibodies exist as multiple glycoforms. Likewise, it has been shown that major differences in antibody glycosylation occur between cell lines, and even minor differences are seen for a given cell line grown under different culture conditions. (Lifely, M. R. et al., Glycobiology 5(8):813-22 (1995)).
One way to obtain large increases in potency, while maintaining a simple production process and potentially avoiding significant, undesirable side effects, is to enhance the natural, cell-mediated effector functions of monoclonal antibodies by engineering their oligosaccharide component as described in Umaña, P. et al., Nature Biotechnol. 17:176-180 (1999) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,684, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. IgG1 type antibodies, the most commonly used antibodies in cancer immunotherapy, are glycoproteins that have a conserved N-linked glycosylation site at Asn297 in each CH2 domain. The two complex biantennary oligosaccharides attached to Asn297 are buried between the CH2 domains, forming extensive contacts with the polypeptide backbone, and their presence is essential for the antibody to mediate effector functions such as antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) (Lifely, M. R., et al., Glycobiology 5:813-822 (1995); Jefferis, R., et al., Immunol Rev. 163:59-76 (1998); Wright, A. and Morrison, S. L., Trends Biotechnol. 15:26-32 (1997)).
Umaña et al. showed previously that overexpression in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells of β(1,4)-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III (“GnTIII”), a glycosyltransferase catalyzing the formation of bisected oligosaccharides, significantly increases the in vitro ADCC activity of an anti-neuroblastoma chimeric monoclonal antibody (chCE7) produced by the engineered CHO cells. (See Umaña, P. et al., Nature Biotechnol. 17:176-180 (1999); and International Publication No. WO 99/54342, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference). The antibody chCE7 belongs to a large class of unconjugated mAbs which have high tumor affinity and specificity, but have too little potency to be clinically usefal when produced in standard industrial cell lines lacking the GnTIII enzyme (Umana, P., et al., Nature Biotechnol. 17:176-180 (1999)). That study was the first to show that large increases of ADCC activity could be obtained by engineering the antibody-producing cells to express GnTIII, which also led to an increase in the proportion of constant region (Fc)-associated, bisected oligosaccharides, including bisected, nonfucosylated oligosaccharides, above the levels found in naturally-occurring antibodies.
There remains a need for enhanced therapeutic approaches targeting EGFR for the treatment of cell proliferation disorders in primates, including, but not limited to, humans, wherein such disorders are characterized by EGFR expression, particularly abnormal expression (e.g., overxpression) including, but not limited to, cancers of the bladder, brain, head and neck, pancreas, lung, breast, ovary, colon, prostate, and kidney. In particular, there remains a need for minimizing the number of non-human residues in antigen binding molecules administered to human subjects.